Subway spokesman Jared Fogle has made news recently because he is under prosecution for having sex with multiple children. Some news stories have used prostitution language in their reports. The abuse is human trafficking.
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has a long history of fighting human trafficking, including the commercial sexual exploitation of children. You can learn more about the work of the PC(USA) Human Trafficking Roundtable by clicking here. A partner of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) on trafficking affirmed by our General Assembly is ECPAT-USA. ECPAT-USA works to end the commercial sexual exploitation of children by strengthening anti-trafficking laws, working with the travel and tourism industry and educating the public about this terrible crime.
Below are some relevant United States of America and international laws that show that the commercial sexual exploitation of children is illegal and a form of human trafficking.
The prostitution of children is prohibited by 18 U.S.C. § 1591. This statute makes it a federal offense to knowingly recruit, entice, harbor, transport, provide, obtain, or maintain a minor (defined as someone under 18 years of age) knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that the victim is a minor and would be caused to engage in a commercial sex act. “Commercial sex act” is defined very broadly to include “any sex act, on account of which anything of value is given to or received by any person.” In other words, it is illegal both to offer and to obtain a child, and cause that child to engage in any kind of sexual activity in exchange for anything of value, whether it be money, goods, personal benefit, in-kind favors, or some other kind of benefit.
Palermo Protocol (international treaty on human trafficking):
(c) The recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of a child for the purpose of exploitation shall be considered “trafficking in persons” even if this does not involve any of the means set forth in subparagraph (a) of this article;
For more information about how your congregation can get involved in work to stop human trafficking, please send an email.